Coffee Break Italian

In this lesson we’re focusing on combining the Perfect and the Imperfect which together allow us to tell stories in the past. You’ll consolidate what you already know about each of the tenses and you’ll recognise certain words and expressions which trigger the Perfect or the Imperfect. Francesca also has some mystery Italian personalities for us to identify in the

In this lesson we’re focusing on combining the Perfect and the Imperfect which together allow us to tell stories in the past. You’ll consolidate what you already know about each of the tenses and you’ll recognise certain words and expressions which trigger the Perfect or the Imperfect. Francesca also has some mystery Italian personalities for us to identify in the

We’ve now learned both the Perfect Tense and the Imperfect Tense in Italian, but when do you use which tense? ​In this episode of Coffee Break Italian we’ll be talking about “thtooms” and “dum-de-dum-de-dums”. This is Mark’s method of explaining how you can combine the Perfect Tense and the Imperfect Tense in one sentence to talk about what was happening

In this lesson we’re focusing on a new tense, the imperfect, which is used for descriptions and to talk about repeated actions in the past. It’s a very straightforward tense, and Francesca shares some great news about the Imperfect in this episode! As usual, there are lots of examples and Mark and Francesca will test Isla on her understanding by

In this lesson you’ll learn to use four very useful adverbs: mai (ever), già (already), appena (just) and ancora (still/yet) to talk about what you’ve just done, what you’ve already done, what you’ve never done and what you’ve not yet done. This very useful lesson builds on what you’ve learned in previous episodes, and it marks the half-way point of

In this episode we’re looking at how you say you liked something in the past using the verb piacere. This verb is conjugated with essere and you have to be careful with how you agree the past participle. We’ll also be taking a look at how reflexive verbs work in the Perfect Tense in this lesson. Again, pay close attention

So far we’ve been learning how to talk in the past by using the Perfect Tense with avere. In this lesson we’ll be learning about a specific group of verbs which use essere in the Perfect Tense. There’s something in particular we need to remember about these verbs, and all will become clear once you’ve listened to this lesson.

In this episode of Coffee Break Italian, we’re continuing to learn about the Perfect Tense, this time focusing on verbs which have irregular past participles. You’ll learn to form past participles for irregular verbs and you’ll also learn about the groupings of irregular verbs which form their past participles in similar ways. Listen to the episode The audio lesson is

It’s time to think about the past. We’ve already seen examples of the Perfect Tense, one of the main Italian tenses used to talk about what happened in the past, but so far we’ve not learned exactly how to use it. In this lesson you’ll be learning to form the past participle of -are, -ere and -ire verbs and how

In this lesson we’ll be looking at the partitive article – the technical name for how to translate “some” in Italian. We’re using the context of buying food so you’ll learn how to ask for some cheese, del formaggio, some cream, della panna, and lots more. This topic also enables us to look at the word ne, and we’ll see

In this lesson you’ll learn to use the demonstrative adjectives questo and quello, meaning “this” and “that”. You’ll also learn to use the demonstrative pronoun forms, meaning “this one” and “that one”. There are a few things you need to remember, particularly with quello, because the forms change slightly depending on whether you’re using the adjective or pronoun forms. You’ll

Paying compliments is a key part of Italian culture and society, and in this lesson of Coffee Break Italian you’ll learn to compliment native speakers on their beautiful clothes, their delicious ragù, and their delightful children using the tricky adjectives bello and buono. You’ll discover a trick which will help you to know exactly which form of these adjectives to

In this episode of Coffee Break Italian you’ll be learning about Italian adjectives and how they agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. You’ll learn about Four-Ending, Two-Ending and Invariable adjectives, and how to change the adjectives so that they “agree” with the noun. Join Mark as he goes clothes shopping in Milano (!) and build your

In this lesson you’ll learn to conjugate and use three very common -ire verbs which are irregular: venire (to come), uscire (to go out) and dire (to say/tell). Pay particular attention to the spelling changes which happen in these verbs!

In this lesson we’ll be taking a look at four common irregular verbs which end in -ere: bere (to drink), tenere (to hold/keep), sapere (to know) and conoscere (also to know). You’ll also learn the difference between the two verbs which can be translated as “to know” and when to use them.

In this episode you’ll learn to use avere and essere, two of the most important Italian verbs. In addition to the normal uses you’ll also learn to use the verbs in a number of idiomatic expressions. By the end of this lesson you’ll be a master of “being” and “having” in Italian!

This lesson focuses on two very important irregular verbs, andare (“to go”) and fare which means “to do” or “to make”, but is used in many other expressions. You’ll learn to conjugate these verbs and through a series of dialogues between Mark, Francesca and Isla, you’ll practise using the verbs, helping you to consolidate what you’ve learned.

The British Podcast Awards took place last night in King’s Cross, London, and Coffee Break Italian was named Smartest Podcast 2017. Mark and Francesca were there to collect the award on behalf of the whole Coffee Break team. The jury was made up of more than 50 independent judges from across the audio and media industry including representatives from The

In this lesson you’ll consolidate what you already know about regular -are, -ere and -ire verbs and you’ll also review reflexive verbs. One of the most common uses of the present tense is in making arrangements, and in the dialogues of the lesson you’ll learn to make arrangements, identifying what you’re doing, when you’re doing it and where you’re meeting